Questions and Answers > What are the practices of Muslims? > Muslim apologists

■ Dialogues with Muslims – Fouad

On our website mailbox, we get requests from Muslims for a debate from time to time. They want to respond to sections or articles on our website. The challenge is, by learning from how Muslims articulate and experience concepts and ideas, to enter their areas of interest. That will be a starting point to come up with the interaction of the Gospel and proclaim the added value for their present life and life hereafter. The dialogue below is from a Muslim who not long ago accepted Islam. The response can give you an idea of how a correspondence with a Muslim can be done. This dialogue is from an email correspondence with a new Muslim, Fouad. The reply is from Luc, who is very experienced to talk with Muslims. To protect the identities of both persons, their names have been replaced by an alias.

1.

Fouad:

Six months ago, I decided to become a Muslim. I had a Christian upbringing and used to be a real believing Christian, I think. Somehow I ended up on your website. I assume you are a Christian? Was good reading, but sometimes I had to smile a bit because there are some bad things in these texts. Why do you recite the Quran? If you believe in the scriptures of the Quran, then you also believe in the message of the last Prophet (saw). Since becoming a Muslim, I feel that I follow and love Jesus (as) much more than before. I also know that well-practising Muslims are much greater Christians than Christians themselves. In such statements, I mainly use the Bible. Jesus (as) followed the commandments (Matthew 19:16-17), he said one should pray the Lord's Prayer and not just anything (Al Fatiha is like the new Lord's Prayer, which I pray at least 17 times every day, Matthew 6:7-13). He fasted, had no physical contact with women except with his mother, he never claimed to be God, he said we should worship one God (Luke 10:25-28), he was very humble in behaviour, he never spoke of a Trinity, which is not found in the Bible, he performed the peace greeting from his Sahabah (Do you also greet this way? I do this), etc ... The Bible is full of Jesus' acts of worship and sayings which are clear evidence that he came into this world as a God-fearing person by a miracle with the virgin conception and that he preached Islam. He performed miracles with God's permission. Moreover, since becoming a Muslim, I experience a much stronger "relationship" with God and feel His mercy as rain pouring down on me. I have not felt this much of God in all my years as a Christian.

2.

Luc:

The Prophet Isa in the Quran is not the same as the Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ in the Bible. Your question reminds me of a Jewish man who met Jesus. He asked, "What must I do to inherit eternal life?" Jesus said, "You know the commandments". The man said he had kept them all since he was a boy. This is the same man as Muslims with good practices of keeping the Law of Moses. Jesus looked at this man and loved him. So, my friend, Jesus has sympathy and compassion for you as a Muslim if you have moral practices. But are you sure you have always kept all the commandments? That is why Jesus said, "One thing is missing from you". Jesus Christ is the Word of God, while the prophets are only shadows of the Word of God. Jesus Christ is Lord and Saviour. Only the righteous Jesus Christ is the final sacrifice for sin. Jesus Christ died for the sin of men. So what was missing was accepting Jesus Christ as Lord and Saviour. Making the decision to start a new life by following Jesus Christ: "Come then, follow Me." (Mark 10:21). Being motivated to become a follower of the Lord Jesus Christ. Trying to keep laws and do a lot of good will or other religious rules will never bring certainty. Certainty about going to heaven is only possible through faith in the Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ.

3.

Fouad:

I wonder if you have ever heard of the words Paraclete / paraklyt. Paraclete means the Holy Spirit, Comforter. Paraklyt means the praised one or Ahmed, who is also called Muhammad. Look at the verses in the Bible very carefully. And the Comforter, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, he will teach you all things, and remind you of all things that I said to you. John 14:26. Joh 16:8: When he comes, he will prove the world to be in the wrong about sin and righteousness and judgment. I have much more to say to you, more than you can now bear. But when he, the Spirit of truth, comes, he will guide you into all the truth. He will not speak on his own; he will speak only what he hears, and he will tell you what is yet to come. Joh 16:12-13. There are more verses that perfectly agree with Muhammad. We Muslims believe that the Greek writers of the Gospels reversed these terms. For the first verse, I want to ask you, how can the Holy Spirit teach something that they cannot read anywhere, but which comes only from the heart?

4.

Luc:

Okay, my friend, the original Greek word for Paraclete is παράκλητος. Paracleet as "Periklytos" was invented by Muslims because it means praiseworthy or glorified. It corresponds to Ahmad, another name of Muhammad. However, the name Ahmad did not exist before Muhammad. The connection between Muhammad and John 14:26 and 15:26 was first documented by Ibn Ishaq in the 8th century. According to historians, a Greek-speaking Muslim with some Christian training changed Paraclete to "Periklytos". Then Muslims told, without proof, that Christians had changed "Periklytos" to Paraclete. Anyone can verify that all dictionaries say that the meaning of the Gospel word Paraclete is Helper, Comforter and Advocate. You conclude, my dear friend, that Muhammad is not the Comforter or Paraclete in the Gospel. The Comforter or Paraclete is the Holy Spirit.

5.

Fouad:

Do you really know Islam? I would be surprised. Assalamu Alaikum Wa Rahmatullahi Wa Barakatuh

6.

Luc:

Only Muslim for six months. Of all new Muslims, 75% will leave Islam within three years according to American Muslim Dr Ilyas Ba-Yunus. That means, my friend, that there is hope for you to find out who you really are. You live in a broken world. In your world are problems, wishes that have not come true, illness and other unpleasant things. You cannot fix your mistakes for yourself. One day will be Judgement Day. Question for you: what then? Are you sure you will go to Paradise? As a Muslim, you will never be sure. The Qur’an and Islam teach salvation through good deeds, and you will never be sure whether you are good enough or not. Your only hope is to believe that Jesus Christ died as the perfect sacrifice for the forgiveness of your sins. You can do that by making a decision and asking to receive Jesus Christ into your heart. Pray when you understand that you are a sinner and need the Saviour Jesus Christ. He is looking at your heart. Pray simply by saying, "Lord Jesus Christ, I have sinned. Forgive me this injustice. I believe You died on the cross for me. Come into my heart. Save my soul right now. Thank You, for saving me. Make me the person You want me to be. Amen." If this is your heart's desire, then you can always trust that you will go to Paradise. Your change of mind results in a different lifestyle and activities. It is a noticeable change or conversion. As a disciple of Jesus Christ, you will live the truth and spread the truth. Find a Bible-believing and disciple-forming church to help you in your spiritual growth. God bless you.

Epilogue

This conversation was with a Muslim who wanted to proclaim Islam after reading our website. It is interesting to follow his arguments. He tried to use the Bible to show that it is better to become a Muslim because, according to his worldview, the Bible confirms Islam. He made it a point to focus on lifestyle because many Christians fail and perform only formal religious duties. He tried to connect Bible verses with Islamic doctrines. The confrontation came for him when he read that Islam is a book religion with no focus on human existence. His view of Jesus was limited to what the Qur’an wrote about Isa, the Muslim version of Jesus. He was informed of a more complete view of Jesus Christ. The Bible teaches both the human side and the divine nature of Jesus Christ. Focusing on only the human aspects will not result in all God's blessings and salvation for mankind. He was given the opportunity to accept Jesus as his Lord and Saviour and was invited to attend a church. When a Christian believer will do his best to save him, God will do the rest.